Does anyone else experience words as textures or gestures?

[Liminal1975]

I see (or feel) words as textures or gestures. Sometimes related, sometimes not.

"Picture" is dipping two thumbs into liquid
"Dress" is running your hands down cotton and flicking it out
"Cat" is bouncing an outstretched hand a foot off the floor
"Raspberry " is holding your thumb and index finger at 90 degrees and gesturing a line down the middle of your face, from eyes to chin.

I know some people see words in colour but I've never done that.

Does anyone else?

I do not, but this sounds very interesting.

Is it only some words, or all words?

Can you remember it starting or has it always been like this?

No, just colours. Have you read "The man who tasted shapes"? It's about more unusual forms of synaesthesia.

Interesting. I see numbers, and periods of time (days, months, years, centuries and millennia) in colours, but I don’t think words, and never textures. What an amazing view point!

Yes I do in the case of German (not my mother tongue). It has a definite, solid three-dimensional feel in the mouth for me. Actually I was once asked to describe it for a questionnaire, and my answer was 'like playfighting with a puppy' and 'like eating chewy chocolate with nuts in'.

@Liminal1975 Sorry if I’m pointing out what you already know, but this sounds like synaesthesia.

I have a different form of it. I see weeks, months, years, decades and centuries mapped out in certain patterns. This means I have a very good memory for dates as I see where things are on the map of history in my mind - both my personal history and wider history.

When I was a child, days of the week had colours and features, though that’s faded now (I remember that Tuesday was a burnt orange and had a beard).

@NigellaAwesome thank you for your kind words, I've always felt it very odd once I realised it Doesn't happen to everyone.

@concertinacornflake yes, all words but some more striking than others.

@SunwaysSystems no, but I'll have a look at the library! Thanks for the recommendation.

No idea of this is related, but I have a substantial degree of face blindness (can't reliably recognise family), definitely can't if out of the house. I can usually eventually identify with clothes, gait, gestures and in very good at voices (have identified actors by listening faster than DH watching).

I did as a child, eg. the word swear was pictured as a yellow square. I grew out of it.

I have a friend with synaesthesia, she experiences words as colours and shapes. But textures and gestures is something I have never heard of, very interesting!

Not like this but I find learning languages very easy and I’ve noticed that, for example, the cat I envisage when I think “cat” is different to the one I envisage when I think “chat” and different again to the ones for “neko” “gato” “kat” and γάτα. I think words tend to lodge in my mind in very specific ways.

That's so interesting!
I'm really fascinated by synaesthesia. It's so strong and involuntary with me, would you say the same?

Stupid question probably, but do any of the gestures overlap with British Sign Language ( or American)?

No but as a kid, certain words, particularly names, used to conjure up a very strong mental image, mostly food, usually food I intensely dislike.
A classmates name used to make me think of corned beef for example. The word purple used to make my mouth water because it made me think of a particular very sour candy. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I would literally get a taste in my mouth through the association but it was very close. It wore off with age.

Interesting that some people grew out of this!

@SunwaysSystems , I only did Level 1 BSL and know no ASL. But no, no crossover.

No but I do associate people's names with food.

Thank god it's not just me that sees names as food. If I mention it to people they look at me like I'm mad!

Yes. Since I was 3.

I also taste words. Again since I was 3. Does my head in.

I’ve never mentioned that to anybody except my husband before. This is definitely one of the positive things about social media ☺️